JUST ABOUT once a week I receive uninvited mail from PR agencies that act as proxies of companies that I just happen to cover or mention. I typically just ignore these E-mails, but sometimes I am pressured to reply and decline politely to engage with those companies and their proxies. Bruce Byfield wrote something similar about the subject 2 years ago (he writes for Datamation and so did I). There are so many sharks like these out there, whose full-time job is to haunt and/or to influence people who write about particular topics. It's like lobbying, which I sometimes call "legalised bribery" ("lobbying" just sounds too innocent). Here is just one example from yesterday (names and identification removed):
Hi Roy,
I've seen your coverage and would like to pitch you on [company] (the open source [field] company) when you're writing about relevant topics. I've been on the [company] PR team for a few months. Until this point my former colleague, [name], owned most of the outreach to you, but with her recent departure, I want to learn what topics you're writing and thinking about most this year.
Mainly, I want to make sure I don't waste your time with pitches you don't care about. Likewise, if there are customers, ISVs or vendors I have access to that can help you on stories, I want to make sure I get you access to them.
I'd love to get 10 minutes on the phone with you. If you'll be in the [venue], I'll even spring for lunch. And if neither of these are options for you, I'd really appreciate if you could take 1-2 minutes and jot down top-of-mind topics you're looking to cover so I know how to help. I'd like to be able to touch base with you every month or so to see what's on your radar.
Best regards, [name]
-- [name] [name] Public Relations [name]@[domain].com [phone #] office [phone #] mobile